The National Insurance Scheme (NIS) has added three new payment methods – Mobile Money Guyana (MMG), Bill Express and Sure Pay – to give pensioners greater convenience and access. This represents a total of 4,779 more locations across the country where they can now uplift their pensions.
Chairman of NIS Ramesh Persaud told Kiskadee Watch after the launch, at Herdmanston Lodge, Queenstown, that the public relations team has an entire programme planned to educate the public on how to use the new services. Acknowledging the limitations in the past, where even NIS staff members could not efficiently advise the public on how to use some of the digital systems in place, Persaud shared that things have significantly improved.
“The staff is much more trained and well equipped and the systems internally are now more capable of handling the transactions,” he expressed, as he extended congratulations on the launch of Kiskadee Watch.
While MMG has been in use for some years now, Persaud clarified that while contribution payments were being accepted via this means, NIS is now going to send pensions using MMG. “That’s the new element,” he shared.
During his presentation at the launch, which also marked the scheme’s 600th board meeting, Persaud explained that in the past, an NIS voucher could have only been cashed at one of the 63 post offices countrywide. “What we are doing today is expanding the accessibility of how someone can receive their pension; how someone can cash their voucher.”
With MMG, he said there are now in excess of 4,500 points of access; with Bill Express, more than 60; and with Money Gram, more than 50. “A pensioner is no longer restricted to the post offices. They are no longer restricted to the offices of the NIS, but they have greater convenience in accessing their pension, even from the corner shop that is willing to facilitate that transaction,” he noted.
Even as he acknowledged the many negative stories about NIS and its customer service, Persaud said there has been improvement in every service area. In 2020, for example, he recalled how at the end of the month, there were about 14,000 claims pending, which meant that a claim took two and a half to three months to process. Currently, though, there are under 3,000 claims outstanding every month. NIS, he said, is processing in excess of 22,000 claims per month, which means that it is now taking about one or two weeks to process a claim.
Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh shared that prior to the three new partners, persons who had an NIS book or vouchers could have cashed them only at the 14 NIS offices across the country or at any of the 63 post offices. This meant that together, there were only a total of 77 locations before the banks were added.
“Between these three partners alone, we have now added 4,779 locations where NIS pensioners can now receive their pensions. We have more than 60,000 pensioners and we want them to be able to receive their pensions in a dignified, convenient and comfortable manner. There is absolutely no reason why they should have to join a line and wait for hours to receive their pension,” Singh expressed.
Urging pensioners to take advantage of the banking option, he commended those who have already chosen to receive their payments directly into their bank accounts. He noted that in 2020, fewer than 12,000 pensioners were receiving payments through the banking system, compared with 24,415 today, representing a 105 per cent increase. However, he pointed out that 39,052 pensioners are still receiving their payments through the traditional pension book system.
He recommended the immediate launch of a nationwide public awareness campaign to educate citizens about the new payment options, stressing that the information should be presented in simple, easy-to-understand language. He also called for an aggressive outreach drive to encourage more eligible persons to register with the scheme.
“I want to urge you to ensure we make these services easily available. When persons say I am requesting my contributions statement, they must get it easily. We must ensure we are a citizens-friendly institution; that we make it easy for persons to register, that we make it easy for persons to get their contributions statements, that we make it easy for persons to query their contribution statements,” Singh urged.
He revealed that between 2020 and 2026, NIS recorded an increase of almost 70,000 employed contributors, while the number of self-employed contributors rose by nearly 9,000.
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